Where is God when bad things happen? It is a popular question that arises when major catastrophes hit the news: coronavirus pandemic, flooding, tornados, an airplane crash. It also arises in our personal lives: at the loss of a job, a serious illness, the loss of a loved one, depression, straying children. Such a question made When Bad Things Happen to Good People (by Rabbi Harold Kushner) a bestseller in 1980’s. It is a troubling question, as old as Adam and Eve’s fall into sin. Countless Biblical characters voice the question, from suffering Job to the Psalmist David to the prophet Habakkuk; which makes this a prophecy for our time.
Scripture: Habakkuk 1-2